republicans are working on changing the way votes are tabulated in presidential election. gop officials in pennsylvania, florida, michigan and ohio have considered abandoning the winner take all approach to electing presidents. the ramifications would be significant. if every electoral vote in the country were awarded by congressional district plus two votes for the state-wide victor, mitt romney would have won the electoral college 276-262. if florida, michigan, ohio, pennsylvania, wisconsin, and virginia adopted the new system, obama's sizable margin would have been reduced to just four, 271-267. luckily, republican leaders in several of those states are throwing cold water on those efforts. and i think they're doing their party a favor. it's crazy to tinker with the electoral college system while losing winnable senate seats to the fringe factor. and fixing that dynamic should be the party's priority before it jeopardizes somebody as conservative as mitch mcconnell in kentucky, whereby the way democrats still maintain a

registration edge. instead, mcconnell might turn out to be the latest republican whose willingness to compromise was deemed unacceptable by a relatively small but passionate cadre of primary voters. the gop would be better served by embracing leaders with a sensible streak, or fighting for a system of more open primaries. that's "hardball" for now. thank you for being with us. "the ed show" with ed schultz starts right now. good evening, americans, and welcome to "the ed show" from new york. congresswoman gabby giffords showed unbelievable courage on capitol hill today. now we'll see if the cowards in congress have the character to do something about guns in this country. this is "the ed show." let's get to work. >> too many children are dying. we must do something. >> gabby giffords makes a surprise emotional plea, and the nra responds with nonsense.

>> background checks will never be universal. >> you missed that point completely. >> tonight senator sheldon whitehouse on today's dramatic day of testimony. plus, dan gross of the brady campaign on the heroes fighting for gun safety and the villains who want to keep it the way it is. the republican obsession with european austerity. kneecap the nation's economy. david cay johnston on today's troubling gdp report. bobby jindal breaks his own rule. >> we've got to stop being the stupid party. >> find out how the poor in his state are about to start suffering on friday. and brand-new polling proves again that we're living in a center-left country. tonight i'll tell you why it's up to one person to keep it that way. good to have you with us tonight, folks. thanks for watching. an emotional scene on capitol hill today. former congresswoman gabrielle giffords returned to congress for a senate hearing on gun

violence. two years ago, giffords was shot in the head during a shooting spree that killed six people in tucson, arizona. the 71 words gifford spoke today did not come easy for her. but her message is one every american needs to hear. >> thank you for inviting me. here today. this is an important conversation for our children, for our communities, for democrats and republicans. speaking is difficult, but i need to say something important. violence is a big problem. too many children are dying. too many children.

we must do something. it will be hard, but the time is now. you must act. be bold, be courageous. americans are counting on you. thank you. >> it remains to be seen if congress will show the same kind of courage gabby giffords displayed today. her husband, captain mark kelly, also testified. kelly's message, demanding change is not the same as taking away people's guns. >> we take that right very seriously, and we would never, ever give it up, just like gabby would never relinquish her gun, and i would never relinquish mine. but rights demand responsibility.

>> giffords and kelly are pleading on behalf of common sense here. this is why gun safety opponents like the nra's wayne lapierre need to create multiple straw men instead of talking about the facts. the gun lobby will do anything to keep all guns free from restrictions. fewer restrictions means more sales, which means more money for gunmakers and manufacturers and guys like wayne lapierre. >> if you try to do this universal background check, which sounds whatever, it ends up being a universal federal nightmare imposed upon law abiding people all over this country. criminals will ignore it. so what is the point of the whole thing? >> this is lapierre's newest argument. a universal background check won't do anything, he says. but more than 40% of gun sales escape background checks thanks to gun shows and internet sales. senator chuck schumer explained the reality. >> why should someone going to a gun show have a different rule?

there is no logic to it, none. i was there. i was the author of the brady bill. and that was something that we were forced 20 put in the bill, those of us who weren't for it, as a way to get the bill passed. but the last 15 years has proven it doesn't make sense. >> gun lobbyists created the background check loopholes, and they want to keep them in place. mark kelly is not going to put up with it. >> we will prevent gun crime. that is an absolute truth. it would have happened in tucson. my wife would not be sitting in this seat. she would not have been sitting here today if we had stronger background checks. >> baltimore police chief jim johnson destroyed lapierre's argument about the inconvenience of background checks. >> nearly 92% of the individuals that go in to try to do a background check at a gun shop, in a minute and a half, they're done. i can't write a ticket, a citation in a minute and a half. even with e-tick technology, i can't do it that fast.

it's not inconvenient. >> the husband of a mass shooting victim and the top cop of a major city have some authority on this issue. but if you don't trust what they say, maybe you can trust wayne lapierre back in 1999. you see, he told a congressional hearing, "we think it's reasonable to provide for instant checks at gun shows just like at gun stores and pawnshops." nra members agree with the 1999 wayne lapierre. 75% of them want a universal background check system in place. members of congress are showing signs of accepting a background check bill, including several republicans who were part of today's hearing. it's not a lost cause. there are signs of progress. but time is of the essence. during the hearing today, a workplace shooting happened again, this time in phoenix, arizona, killing one person and injuring two others. the crime-troubled city of chicago. well, a young girl who performed at the president's inauguration

was an innocent victim of a street shooting. little miss pendleton was a 15-year-old honor student. as president obama said today, these instances of gun violence are not going to stop without our action. >> if we're not doing something to try to have an impact on that, to lessen it, even if it's not perfect. even if it doesn't work every time, even if it doesn't save every person who is a potential victim of gun violence, but we save a few. you know, if we don't do that, shame on us. >> and shame on congress if they cannot find the courage to act on this issue. get your cell phones out. we want to know what you think. tonight's question, is today's testimony enough for congress to act on gun laws? text a for yes. text b for no to 622639. you can go to our blog at ed.msnbc.com. we'll have results later on in the show. joining me now is senator

sheldon whitehouse of rhode island who was part of today's hearing. senator, good to have you with us tonight. >> thanks, ed. good to be with you. >> you bet. this is an emotional, gut-wrenching issue on both sides. people on the other side of the issue, lapierre's crowd think that they're being attacked. did today's hearing move the needle any closer towards meaningful reform do you think? >> yeah, i think it did. i think that first of all, it's hard to overlook representative gifford's remarks to us closing with be bold, be courageous, americans are counting on you. second, there were some concessions from the gun side. one of the experts conceded that these big, huge high capacity ammunition magazines were unusual, were a novelty, which in the language of this issue means that they're not protected by the supreme court's heller

decision, which means that we can safely legislate to get rid of them. and that's their own side speaking. and as you point it out, i think this is room to move on the universal background checks. i think that it's very, very hard for the nra to continue to defend the position that people who are on the terrorist watch list should be allowed to buy firearms in this country. that's their position. i don't know how they stand by it. >> senator, mr. lapierre is presenting to the american people that it would be a quagmire, a nightmare to do universal background checks. his position all of the sudden is there is no way it would work, that it would be actually targeting the law abiding citizens. your thoughts on that. >> well, it really makes no sense. first of all, we're doing it already with respect to gun shops and pawnshops. to do it in the environment of these big gun shows, which are basically a giant gun shop with

many dealers real hi doesn't add anything to it. as police chief johnson said, it takes a minute or two to go through the background check. the second thing is that the whole point of the exercise is that it keeps the criminal from coming in and buying guns. so when mr. lapierre says, well, you know, this is no good because criminals won't subject themselves to a background check, that's precisely the point. >> sure. what was the feeling in the room from you and your colleagues after hearing gabby giffords speak today? how much of an impact do you think she had? >> i think she had a real impact. i think the other moment of real impact was when her husband, captain kelly, talked about the child at gabrielle giffords' shooting who was killed by the

13th bullet, and pointed out that if the shooter hadn't had that high capacity magazine, before he got to that 13th bullet, he would have had to reload. and that shooting came to an end when the shooter had to reload. so the moment when you have 20 stop firing out of your magazine and reload is the moment for people to escape. it's the moment for people to counterattack and try to disable the shooter. and i think seizing on that little girl and the fact that she was killed by the 13th bullet, and that her life would have been saved if there had been only 10 or 11 rounds in that weapon was a very, very poignant moment. >> senator, what is the political downside here? and there is always calculations being made. eight out of ten nra members support universal background checks. who is wayne lapierre speaking for? >> the gun manufacturer, of course. it's not the first time that we have had a big lobbying

organization in washington that purports to represent a grassroots or a local membership, but is in fact doing the bidding of a very, very big interests, probably the most prominent example of that is the u.s. chamber of commerce, which purports to represent small businesses across the country, but in fact is the mouthpiece for global multinational huge corporations. so that's nothing new to anybody watching these hearings take place in washington. >> senator sheldon whitehouse, good to have you with us tonight on "the ed show." thank you so much for your time. >> good to be with you, ed. >> you bet. you know, if you want a good example of the cultural divide that we have in this country. >> clear. good to be with you. >> 23 you want a clear example of the cultural divide in the country, i need to tell you about this story right in the middle of the country. this isn't just north dakota, it's all down through the middle of the country there is a youth hockey organization in west fargo, north dakota. this was picked up by

"huffington post" and some other media. they're raffling off 200 guns, including three ar-15 assault rifles. perfectly legal. it is their biggest fundraiser of the year. this is just another day at the office for how to raise money for youth sports in the middle of the country. now, we're a diverse country when it comes to religion, when it comes to race. we have a big tent. the democratic progressive party, liberals have a big tent. they understand a lot of things. we have a real cultural divide on how we accept firearms in this country, about how we accept the use of firearmser, and people's rights to own firearms. but when you get down to the level where it is a fundraiser for a youth hockey program and you're going to tell those folks we can't do it, we can't do the assault weapons ban, you know, this -- it's another day at the office for them. and that's the diversity. try to have something like that

on the east coast right now or the west coast right now, no way. you couldn't do it there is no way you could do it. remember to answer tonight's question this at the bottom of your screen. share your thoughts with us on twitter at edshow and on facebook. we want to hear from you. wayne lapierre says only good guys with guns can stop bad guys with gun. well, today one of the good guys ripped apart the logic. dan gress of the brady campaign will be with us. lots more coming up. tender white meat chicken and vegetables in a crust made from scratch. marie callender's. it's time to savor. [ male announcer ] finally mom's oven baked taste... straight from the microwave. like oven roasted chicken in a creamy alfredo sauce. marie callender's new comfort bakes. it's time to savor. [ dog barking ] ♪

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hillary clinton dodges more questions about her political future. the grio's joy reid tonight will discuss tonight why hillary clinton would be center left's best candidate for 2016. and later, louisiana governor bobby jindal's new budget cuts would destroy medicaid in his state. dr. ronnie whitfield of the national association of free clinics will explain the impact on the state's poorest residents. you can listen to my radio show

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choose unlimited rewards with 2% cash back or double miles on every purchase, every day! what's in your wallet? the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. that's what nra ceo wayne lapierre told america following the massacre at sandy hook elementary school last month. well, one of the good guys with a gun came to capitol hill today and ripped apart the nra logic. representing an group james

johnson says the good guys can only do so much, and the tougher gun registrations are urgently needed. >> the best way to stop a bad guy from getting a gun in the first place is a good background check. >> johnson explained that the so-called gun show loophole allows 40% of firearms to be purchased without a background check. >> allowing 40% of those acquiring guns to bypass checks is like allowing 40% of passengers to board a plane without going through security. would we do this? >> the good guy charged with protecting the people was countered by the lobbyists charged with protecting the multibillion gun industry. wayne lapierre says he is against closing the gun show loophole, even though he had supported closing it in the past. recent polling shows that eight out of ten nra member says they support universal background checks. so who exactly is lapierre speaking for? the man's twisted logic didn't stop there. lapierre used his platform to

stoke more fear and paranoia. >> they had lived under the tyranny of king george, and they wanted to make sure that these free people in this new country would never be subjugated again. i also think what people all over the country fear today is being abandoned by their government. >> are you kidding me? do you really feel that way? take a poll on that one. baltimore county police chief johnson didn't quite know what to say about that. >> i find it to be scary, creepy. and simply just not based on logic. >> let's turn to dan gross, president of the brady campaign to prevent gun violence. dan, good to have you with us tonight. what do you make of lapierre's performance today? >> you know, he showed his true colors, the true colors that he always shows which is he is not there to represent the voice of the american public. he is not even there to represent the voice of the members of the nra. he is there to represent the

interests of the gun lobby, and he'll drum up whatever fear and paranoia and mistruths he can to promote that agenda. you know, it's kind of ironic that he began his testimony. i was sitting right there in the front row today. he began his testimony by saying he is there to give voice to 4.5 million nra members. if he is there to give voice to the members of the nra, he would be there advocating universal background checks, because that's what they support. >> because nine out of ten americans and eight out of ten members of the nra support universal background checks. so how he can speak for them, i don't know. this is the first time i've heard wayne lapierre kind of go into the fringe thinking that we have to have these firearms because we're not so sure whether the national guard is going to be called out to take our rights away from us, or there is going to be some kind of coup against people who own firearms and the government. have you ever -- this is somewhat of a new approach by him.

and i call it into the fringe zone. your thoughts. >> yeah, i mean, he certainly is representing the point of view of a very extreme minority when he starts espousing this, you know, black helicopter kind of stuff. you've certainly heard that coming from the gun lobby before. i don't know if it's ever come as directly from wayne lapierre, but, again, it certainly exposes his real agenda here, which is not to have a constructive conversation about what we can do to prevent gun violence, but to at all costs, with any means necessary to promote the gun industry. >> well, i think it exposes his desperation on this issue. >> that's the hope. >> now, the lawmakers that i talked to say that you're not going to get -- you're not going to get the assault weapons ban. that the filibuster rule, if you had 51 votes, you could probably get it. now that it's the 60 rule, it's not going to happen. so what is the best thing you can get out of this? what are you hopeful for right

now? what is realistic? >> i don't think it's time to take any part of the white house task forces and the president and the president's recommendations off the table. you know, every element of that proposal is supported by the majority of americans. it's solutions from the assault weapon ban to universal background checks that the public is clamoring for a discussion around. >> yeah. >> and we have to look at this whole issue. we need a sea change. as i sat there today, i couldn't help but think this is one of the issues that there are some people who are on the right side of history and there are some people who are on the wrong side of history. we need a civil rights sea change on this issue where the voice of the american public is heard and the interest of the american public is felt to create that kind of change. if that's the spirit, we shouldn't be prioritizing solutions now. >> did you get a sense that the republicans who were on that committee were moved at all? >> yeah, i mean certainly everybody was moved and touched

genuinely and deeply by gabby giffords and mark kelly's presence there. i think you learned a lot, not only from what was said, but what wasn't said. you know, there was a lot of conversation from the republicans there about the assault weapons ban and, you know, talking about that and the context of the second amendment. you didn't hear as much conversation around universal background checks, because i think there is a real acknowledgment of the reality that universal background checks actually have the opportunity to strengthen the second amendment because it reaffirms the rights of law abiding citizens, people who aren't criminals or terrorists or dangerously mentally ill to own guns. you know, i took solace -- partially what was said and the sympathy that seemed to be there on both sides of the aisle. but very importantly on what wasn't said. >> moving republicans on this will not be easy. that's stated. i believe that. dan gross, good to have you on "the ed show" tonight. thank you. hillary clinton is leaving

the door open, and center-left america needs to hear or carry the movement forward. that's what i think. joy reid joins me for the discussion. and then later, republicans could be learning a real tough lesson about the economy. find out how regular americans doing their part. but republican-style spending cuts are basically holding back and maybe even killing this economy. we'll explain why paul ryan is so terribly wrong when we come back. [ dog barking ] ♪ [ female announcer ] life is full of little tests,

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welcome back to "the ed show." many americans are following the exit of hillary clinton with tremendous interest. she is ending her tenure as secretary of state. and the same question is on the mind of every progressive in this country -- will she run? will she lead the movement in 2016. here is what secretary clinton said when andrea mitchell asked her about her health, and if it would be a factor in her decision. >> i have no doubt that i'm healthy enough and my stamina is great enough, and i'll be fully recovered to do whatever i choose to do. but i don't have any decisions made. i have no real plans to make any such decisions. >> in 2012 in december, you told my friend barbara walters that you had no intention of running for president. >> right. that. >> brought to mind, it sounded familiar. so we looked it up. in december of 2001, you told tim russert you had no intention of running for president. >> and i didn't. >> can we come to the agreement

that the door is being left wide open? she tactfully positioning herself with an artful response. don't expect secretary clinton to give an answer now, but this is something we as liberals should be pushing for big-time. we are now a center-left country, and we need a strong standard-bearer once president obama step downs four years from now, and president obama's popularity is now the highest it has been since the first few months he was in office. today's poll numbers are a reflection of the president's inauguration speech when he spoke boldly of progressive values in the country. i'm joined tonight by joy reid, managing editor of the grio. i mean, if she were to run, if she were to announce, wouldn't there be just this groundswell enthusiasm because we know she is so qualified? >> well, i think partly because of her clear and obvious qualifications, but also,

hillary land has a pent-up desire for this woman that has never gone away there was tremendous resentment between obama and hillary camps in 2008 partly because her supporters are so passionate about the idea that she should be our first woman president. it was very hard for them to walk away from that. there was a big push to get her on the ticket, to be vice president. they were disappointed that didn't happen. she then takes the job of secretary of state and really acquitted herself well. i think her approval ratings might even be higher than barack obama's, probably are. she has now positioned herself in terms of her qualification. she isn't just a former first lady, not that that's not amazing, but she is also now a qualified international figure in her own right. >> and she is going to go home and take a nap, a long one. she is going to exercise. she is going to take care of herself. she is going to read. she is going to do some philanthropic type work, do some speaking, and she is going to hear wherever she goes, you have to do it. and i think most democratic candidates thinking about it are going to say i'm not even going to go down this road.

hillary is rung. would she be a shoo-in? would there even be any other competitors out there? >> i think there is no one to really compete with her. by the way, she would never admit she wants to run now because it would understood mine her still current boss, president barack obama. you never want to admit when a president is just reelected that you would make him a lame duck. somebody with that star power, somebody like hillary clinton, the minute she said she wanted to run, it would then compete with president obama in terms of the public's attention. and by the way, saying that you have no intention of running is meaningless in politics. i went back and looked at an old chicago magazine article from 2006 in which barack obama was quoted in 2004 saying he wouldn't run and in 2006 saying he had no intention of running for president. >> the thing that i would be excited about is that hillary clinton would be the perfect democrat to move the health care pendulum even further where most americans want it to go. she is an advocate of universal health care, if you can get it there, which i think would be absolutely the best thing for the country.

here she is at a town hall when she was asked about her future plans. this is interesting. >> i do want to see more women compete for the highest positions in their countries. and i will do what i can, whether or not it is up to me to make a decision on my own future. i right now am not inclined to do that. but i will do everything i can to make sure that women compete at the highest levels not only in the united states, but around the world. >> you know, the big issue right now for the president is getting immigration reform passed. >> right. >> that was the issue that somewhat became problematic for hillary clinton in one of the debates when she was talking about a driver's license. >> correct. >> of an undocumented worker. and then it kind of snowballed that was kind of the game changer in the competition between she and president obama. how important would it be to get immigration reform done and then set the table for her to take on

another big issue in this country? which of course could be health care, which of course could be women's rights. >> absolutely. and the health care plan we have right now is a lot closer to the one she proposed during the campaign because barack obama was against the individual mandate and she was for it. but yeah, on immigration, if immigration reform were to get done, i think republicans are even starting to realize this, it would redound mostly to the benefit of democrats. latinos are trending toward the democratic party on most issues. i think it would help republicans only marginally and democrats a lot more. it would get that issue off the table. if she were to run, which a lot of people think she will, i think she will, she is going to have a lot of successes in the previous administration to kind of push off and run. >> joy reid, great to have you on "the ed show." thank you. >> good to be here. >> a lot more coming up in the next half hour of the program. stay with us. we're coming right back. >> cut spending. >> cut spending. >> cut spending. >> cutting spending. >> republican cuts lead to an ugly new report on the economy. up next, david cay johnston on

why republican obsession with austerity is hurting the country. just like the villains from "scooby doo", republicans keep getting busted stealing votes. >> it would have been mine if it hadn't been for those meddling kids. >> i'll have the latest. and you won't believe what is happening to the poor in louisiana. financial obstacles military families face, we understand. our financial advice is geared specifically to current and former military members and their families. [ laughs ] dad! dad! [ applause ] [ male announcer ] life brings obstacles. usaa brings retirement advice. call or visit us online. we're ready to help. learn more with our free usaa retirement guide. call 877-242-usaa.

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in the last quarter of 2012. the numbers don't lie. republican-style spending cuts caused this slowdown. you can't blame the private sector. business investments, they picked up. the housing market continues to show signs of recovery as well. and you can't blame the american people either. consumer spending makes up 2/3 of the gdp. consumer sales for cars and kitchen stoves, you bet. but you can blame the government federal spending was way down in the last quarter, especially on what? defense. the pentagon spent almost 13% more than normal in the third quarter, but at the end of the year, defense spending suddenly dropped 22%. that's the biggest drop in defense spending since 1972. the private sector did its part to grow the economy. families worked hard. they spent some money. businesses made some investments. but government spending dipped. and pulled the entire economy

down with it. less spending caused less growth. but republicans like paul ryan keep saying, well, these cuts are going to boost the growth. >> we're not preaching austerity. we're preaching growth and opportunity. our job, our goal is to prevent and preempt austerity so we can get back to growth. >> really? countries like greece, italy and spain and france have done exactly what ryan wants this country to do. they cut government spending to pay off their debt. now the eurozone has posted record unemployment and poverty. we are facing $85 billion in automatic spending cuts on march 1st. we probably shouldn't trust republicans who think austerity is the best way to go for the american economy. let's bring in david cay johnston, professor at syracuse university college of law and pulitzer prize winning journalist. david cay, good to have you on tonight. >> good to be here. >> we're getting some numbers

now that this progressive philosophy of government is a good thing. is government spending good for the economy? are we finding that out now in the last quarter? >> yes. and we need to spend more money on those things that invest in the future. education, infrastructure especially that we've been using up, research, those are things that will make us more prosperous in the future, not the kind of proposals paul ryan has. >> now, not to overstate this, but is ryan really in your opinion, professional opinion, proposing exactly what those foreign countries that were just mentioned in this piece, is it similar what he is trying to do in this country? >> yeah. paul ryan is path logically against government spending. he objects to it, perhaps not for his family business, which gets financed with government spending. they build highways and roads. but he believes firmly and honestly that this is bad for the economy, and he is blind to all the benefits that grow and all the benefits business get

because of public investments. >> so are the republicans really worried about the debt, or is something else going on here? >> if the republicans were worried about the debt, they would have been eager to let all the bush tax cuts expire. the cbo has shown that if we did that, debt as a share of the economy would fall to half in the next ten years. and if we were to leave the bush cuts in place, it would double. so, no, they're not serious about cutting deficits. they're serious about continuing to pose as the party of tax cuts for the rich. >> and i want to point out that just about an hour after we got the report on the gdp, senate minority leader mitch mcconnell gave this warning about government spending. here it is. >> this, my colleagues, is the europeanization of america. this is the pathway to greece. >> really? your thoughts on that. >> well, there is one way that we are on a pathway to greece. in greece they do not have an

effective tax system, and people cheat left and right. we are starving the irs. i've been talking to people inside the irs whose units have been cut 30, 40, 50% in personnel, and they're not auditing, and they're not going after the tough cases that will mean the less money for the government and the less money for all government services and cause real serious problems. so in that sense we are heading toward greece by taking away a great tax system and replacing wit a weakened one. >> why are these changes taking place in the irs? why are they not being as aggressive as they used to be? >> well, because for years now, the republicans have attacked the irs. and at one point, you may recall, i broke the story years ago that you were actually more likely to be audited if you were poor than if you were affluent. we've cut radically the audits of corporations. and the irs now tells corporations, well we'll only audit you on these issues and you have this many days. we'll close the audit whether we're done or not. that's not really doing the job they need to do. >> i hear no conversation about this in washington. and it's vital to the treasury. why not?

>> because the, you know, dick cheney said deficits don't matter, and as a political matter so far they haven't. but it's also because we're not thinking about -- we've turned tax into a four-letter word, ed. and we need to recognize that our whole country and our government at its base is about taxes. >> david cay johnston, always great to have you on the "ed show." thank you. republicans might be backing down in their effort to rig the electoral vote. but the fight is not over yet. we won this first phase of the battle there is lots more coming up. stay with us. to compete on the . what we need are people prepared for the careers of our new economy. by 2025 we could have 20 million jobs without enough college graduates to fill them. that's why at devry university, we're teaming up with companies like cisco to help make sure everyone is ready with the know-how we need for a new tomorrow. [ male announcer ] make sure america's ready. make sure you're ready. at devry.edu/knowhow.

♪ and we're back. you like watching the "ed show"? you like going to our social media tools? we love it when you do. we love hearing from all of you on our facebook and twitter. and most of you are responding to gabby giffords' moving plea, bold action on gun violence in america. on facebook, rosalee writes what a lovely, intelligent, brave lady, an inspiration to all of us. i hope something gets done to curb the violence.

peg laramie says "gabby gifford is the face of courage. what a fighter." and susan writes "respect courage, conviction, go, gabby. now go congress." thank you for all your comments. if you want to jump into the conversation, what you thought about today's dramatic hearing, we want you to go to our facebook page right now and join the conversation. and don't forget to like us on the facebook page with the "ed show." still to come, the man who told the gop to stop being the stupid party makes a real dumb move on health care in his state. we'll show you how governor bobby jindal's planned cuts, planned budget cuts would affect louisiana's poorest residents. stay with us. ...tax time can be...well...taxing. so right now we'll give you... ...$10 off any turbo tax deluxe level software or higher! find thousands of big deals now... ...at officemax.

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welcome back to "the ed sho show". here on this program, we have been focused on the latest republican effort to rig the 2016 election by changing how

the electoral votes are counted in a handful of battleground states. battleground states. currently, the winner of the state-wide vote gets all of the electoral college votes. under the plan proposed by republicans, electoral votes would be awarded by congressional district. congressional districts, which have been gerrymandered beyond recognition to tip the scales for who? the republicans. their election-rigging effort would turn this 2012 electoral map into this, a scenario where the loser of the presidential race actually wins. there is a reason they say sunlight is the best disinfectant. after almost a week of media attention, not only on this show, but others and the public outrage about key republicans that are withdrawing their support for the scheme because of all of the coverage, virginia state's privileges and elections committee voted 11-4 to kill republican senator bill

carricoa's electorate rigging bill. even ohio skate of suppression. jon husted added nobody in ohio is advocating this. rick snyder told bloomberg tv i don't think this is the appropriate time to look at this. appropriate time is the key phrase there, folks. and just days after calling something worth looking at, wisconsin's governor scott walker is expressing, quote, real concern. the change would make irrelevant in presidential campaigns, which isn't exactly taking it off the table, my friends. so let's be, in my opinion, absolutely clear here. this isn't over. republicans talk and talk absolutely all they want, but i think that this plan is still alive. and they have 1, 378 days to find another way to make your vote count less, which is exactly why we need to keep the spotlight on this issue.

but it looks like round one goes to the supporters of democracy. tonight in our survey, i asked you is today's testimony enough for congress to act on gun laws? 64% of you say yes. 36% of you say no. coming up, louisiana governor bobby jindal is slashing medicaid while people in the state are in desperate need of help. pretty heartless move, i think, by the governor. and we're calling him out, next. [ male announcer ] red lobster is hitting the streets to tell real people about our new 15 under $15 menu!

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if you take nothing else away from what i say today, please understand this. we must not become the party of austerity. we must not be the party of austerity. we must be the party of growth. >> really? if only louisiana governor bobby jindal practiced what he preaches. jindal is planning massive cuts to louisiana's government health care and medicaid programs. these cuts are going to have a devastating cut on the state's poorest citizens. they include cuts to programs that provide behavioral health services to at-risk children. offer case management visits for low-income hiv patients, and home visit by nurses who teach poor mothers how to care for newborns. the medicaid program will no longer cover physical therapy for nursing homes. dental benefits will be cut off for pregnant women, and doctors will be paid less when caring

for medicaid patients. the cuts will begin friday. that's this friday. jindal says that it will help close the state's budget gap. but just a few months ago, he said it's all about the private insurance. >> the best way to help the uninsured in our states is to create good-paying jobs so that folks can go out there and afford their own coverage, through their employer, private sector coverage, not to make them dependent on a government-run program. >> well, governor, you a lot of jobs to create between now and friday. if there is one thing jindal is horrible at it is, that creating jobs. 21% of louisiana residents live below the poverty line. it's the second highest state poverty level in the nation. 20% of the residents rely on medicaid, and 20% have no insurance at all. now, i have seen the situation in louisiana firsthand. i have seen it firsthand. and it's not pretty, folks. "the ed show" hosted two free health care clinics in new orleans, and each time the line was out the door.

and to these people and private insurance just isn't an option. >> have you looked for insurance and priced it? >> yeah, it's high. >> do you know how much it would cost for you to get insurance independently? >> oh, what was it like, three or $400 a month. >> over 20% of louisiana lives below the poverty line. bobby jindal wants people to pay $400 a month for insurance. for a governor who oversees one of the poorest states in the nation, bobby jindal should be ashamed of himself for cutting assistance basically to the people who have no political influence. they're not going to be shaking down the pockets or lining the pockets of any politician. it's a cheap way to go, governor, and it's heartless. for more, let's turn to dr. ronnie whitfield, also known as the hip-hop doctor. and he is the associate medical director of the national association of free clinics in new orleans. doctor, good to have you with us tonight. >> ed, thanks again for having me. >> you bet.

>> it's great to be here. >> how much is this going to hurt the residents, the poorest residents in louisiana? >> significantly, ed. it seems like our governor is building his budget off the backs of the poor and those that are most vulnerable are least considered. our poor women and children, those with disabilities and mental health issues. and up until this week, those with hospice benefits, that was being threatened to be cut as well. but we did get a reprieve on that. it's going to be significant. he also mentioned fit physician reimbursement. it's not about money. but we have to be compensated so we can continue to care for our patients. so this is something that is going to be very significant. and i'm quite concerned about the state of louisiana and my city of baton rouge, which i'm very passionate about. >> will these cuts actually increase health care costs over time? >> i think so. we're closing this budget temporarily. but when individuals have to access the emergency rooms and lack of health care,'m